Spring latch or lock for motor-car doors



F. H. GORDON.

SPRING LATCH 0R LOCK FOR MOTOR CAR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4,1918.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

6] nmmoz fiederick /1. Gordon,

rnnnnmcx HUGH common, or SYDNEY, new SOUTH ALES, AUSTRALIA.

SPRING LATCH OR LOCK FOR MOTOR-CAR DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Man-16, 19 20,

, nn ic t qn fil d O o 's .8- fi i .NP- 2 6, 93-

To all whom-it mayconcern;

Be-i-t known that I, FREDERICK IIUGH Gonnon, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, and residing at Sydney, New South Vales, Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Latches or Looks for Motor-Car Doors, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a conventional type of spring latch bolts for motor car doors, and particularly to a conventional type of devices of this class in which the means for withdrawing the bolt and releasing the door comprises a hand .lever which carries a pin connected with, or operating in connection with the bolt, and in which the bolt is finished to an approximately wedge face to facilitate the latching, said device being reversible, or for left or right use.

When a door fitted with a latch or latch bolt of this kind is slammed, in the operation of closing it, the quick reciprocation to and fro applied to the boltis communicated to the hand lever, and if the hand of a person is held on the door within the range of movement of said hand lover, the quick snap action to which the lever is subjected may cause said lever to strike the hand and cause painful injury; and the object of this invention is to so connect the bolt and the lever that the snap actionof the belt which occurs when the door is slammed will not be communicated to the hand lever; and with these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which V Figure l is a front inside view of a part of the frame of the door of a motor car and a pa of s 0 sa d pa t be g pr with my improved latch or latch lock construction Fig. 2 a partial section on the line 2'2 of ig- Fig. 3 a

partial section on the l ne of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 a view of ,or strike plate which I employ;

thereof.

Fig. 5 a view of a part of the latch ,or look member detached and with part of the construction broken away; and,

Fig.6 a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the modification.

In the drawing forming .part of this construction, I have shown at .a a part of the front side of the door frame ofi an automobile and at b a part of the door, consisting of a horizontal top member 6 and a vertical front member .6

In the practice of my invention, I countersink in the part a a strike plate c shown in Fig. {L and in section in F ig, :3,,and having a central projecting part 0 the front face of which is beveled as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the member constitutes part of the plate a in connection with which the latch bolt operates, and is provided with a semicircular recess 0 the inner wall of which is beveled outwardly as shown at c.

1 also provide a latch bolt d mounted ina tubular casing e, the front end of which passes horizontally through the part b of the door and is secured therein in any desired manner, preferably by means of cross or head plate e shown in Fig. 5, and mounted at the inner end of the bolt (Z within the tubular casing e is a spiral spring f, which is secured in said casing by a threaded plug g. The outer .end of the bolt (Z which .opcrates in connection with the strike plate 0, or the part 0 thereof, is beveled on its inner side as shown at (Z and slightly beveled on its outer side as shown at (Z and the object of this: constructionand that of the strike plate a, or the part 0 thereof, is to prevent the rattling of the ;door when. the latch or latch lock, or the separate parts thereof, have become worn in the operation Pivoted to the door member 12 at h ,isa hand or operating lever ,1, which operates in the longitudinal [recess 6 in the part b of the door and which is provided with an inwardly and upwardly directed handle i and the lever 2' is provided centrally thereof with a transverse slot ,2" through which is passed a screwpin j which is screwed into the bolt 03, as shown at j in Fig. 2, ,a1 id the Screw P i Ope te n SlQ in t e bolt leasing c and is preferably provided where it operates in the slot 2" with an antifriction r lle 0' a Wi h th s .o ist iwt th i w d =:I E .QY ment of the bolt 03 when the door is slammed in the closed will not be communicated directly to the lever 2', by reason of the operation of the pin 7' in the slot '5 and said lever, or the top part 2' thereof will not be forced into contact with the hand of the operator of the door when the latter grasps the top of the door in the operation of closing it, and the hand will not be injured by said door, as fre quently occurs in the operation of latch bolt locks of this class, as heretofore constructed. 'In the construction shown in Fig. 6, a bolt- 05 is provided with a'slot d in which the screw pin j operates, and said screw pin is secured in the lever 2', and with this construction the operation and the result thereof will be the same as with that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

My invention is not limited to the exact details of the construction herein shown and described, and various changes therein and modifications thereof may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a door lock of the class described, a

strike plate secured in the door frame, a

tensionally operated bolt mounted in the door and a lever in operative connectlon with the bolt and adapted to move said bolt inwardly, said strike plate comprising a con 7 tral raised and arc-shaped port1on having a beveled recess on the inner side thereof and the protruding end of the bolt being beveled on opposite sides to permit of its passage over the enlarged portion of the strike plate and to fit within the beveled recess thereof.

2. In a door lock'of the class described, the combination with a latch plate secured to the door frame and consisting of a central enlarged and arc-shaped portion having a beveled recess in the inner face thereof, of a bolt mounted in the door and the protruding end of which is beveled on opposite sides to permit of its operation over the central portion of the strike plate and to engage the beveled recess thereof.

3. In a latch lock for the swinging door of a vehicle, a tubular bolt holder adapted to be secured in the door, a spring projected bolt mounted in said holder, and a lever adapted to be pivoted below said holder and to extend upwardly above and transversely of said holder for withdrawing the bolt against the operation of the spring, said holder being. provided with a longitudinal slot and said lever with a transverse slot, and a in passed inwardly through the slot lever and the slot in the holder and secured to saidbolt.

4. The combination with a horizontally swinging door'of a. vehicle, of a latch lock the door, a spring projected bolt mounted in said holder, and a lever pivoted below said holder and projecting upwardly above the same and above the door and adapted to withdraw the bolt against the operation of the spring, said holder being provided with a horizontal slot and said lever with a transverse slot, and a pin passed inwardly throughthe slot in the lever and through {)hci slot in the holder and secured in said 5. The combination with a horizontally swinging door of a vehicle, of a latch lock comprising a strike plate secured to the door frame, a tubular bolt holder secured in the door, a spring projected bolt mounted in said holder, and a lever pivoted below with a horizontal slot and said lever with a transverse slot, and a pin passing through the slot in the lever and through the slot in the holder and secured in said bolt, said pin being provided with an anti-friction roller which operates in the slot in the lever.

6. In a door lock of the class described, a strike plate secured to the door frame, and comprising a raised arc shaped portion having a recess on the inner side thereof, a tensionally operated bolt mounted in the door and the protruding end of which is beveled, a hand-operated lever pivoted to the door and provided with an aperture, and means passed through said aperture and said bolt for placing said lever in operative connection with said bolt in such manner as to permit of the inward movement of the bolt by said lever and independent of said lever.

7. In a door lock of the class described, a strike plate secured'to the door frame and comprising a raised arcshaped portion having a recess on the inner side thereof, a tensionally operated bolt mounted in the door and the protrudin'g end of which is beveled, a hand-operated lever pivoted to the door and provided with an elongated aperture, a. headed screw passed through said aperture and secured in said bolt in such manner that said lever maybe manipulated to withdraw the bolt and an anti-friction roller mounted on said screw within the elongated aperture of the lever.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 

